Tool belt with spaced receiver blocks selectively receiving both complimentary tool holders and tools

Abstract

A tool belt mounts receiver blocks, preferably of at least two types, permanently along its length. Each receiver block releasibly receives and engages an attaching block of complimentary configuration, the two blocks serving as a two-portion connector. Each attaching block serves to attach, or is integral with, (i) one of any number of tool holders of diverse configurations, each of which tool holders serves to support an associated tool, and / or (ii) a tool itself. The belt is preferably made from web fabric, the receiver blocks and attaching blocks from strong molded plastic, and the tool holders from leather, steel and like materials contoured and adapted to engage and hold portable tools including hand tools.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention generally concerns tool belts and portable tool holders for releasibly holding portable tools.[0004]The present invention particularly concerns tool belts and portable tool holders where portable tools of diverse types may be selectively securely attached both (i) indirectly where the tool attaches to a tool holder upon the tool belt, and (ii) directly, where the tool itself attaches to the tool belt.[0005]2. Description of the Prior Art[0006]2.1 The General State of the Prior Art[0007]No two workmen are likely to use exactly the same set of transportable hand-held tools, and sometimes even the same workman will use different sets of tools having different members at different times. Accordingly, tool belts and tool holders have long accorded the potential to mount various tools.[0008]The classic solutions to the problem of detachably mounting, and mounting at various times, various portable hand a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0052]The first-type, male, connector portion preferably has and presents retaining tabs, or clips, which are held in spaced relationship under spring forces to retain the male connector portion at and to the female connector portion. These tabs or clips are both (i) compressible to slide the male connector portion into the female connector portion, and (ii) compressible under force of the fingers to release the male connector portion from the female connector portion. These (typically) male connector portions readily, and removably by use of screws and nut if desired, attach any of tool or gear holders, clips, buttons, bags, containers and the like, and also directly to both hand and powered tools. These male connector portions thus serve, in conjunction with the female connector portions affixed to the tool belt or harness, to suitably directly, or indirectly, removably connect almost anything of suitable size and weight to the belt or harness.

[0058]The system is thus eminently flexible, versatile and tailerable to the requirements and desires of its owner / user. The owner / user of the system can detachably mount and carry almost any tool that he or she wants, by almost any holder of direct tool attachment that he or she desires, at almost any desired location along the tool belt, to any reasonable total number of tools. Instead of the owner / user conforming to a tool belt that is invariable in any or all of (i) the mechanism(s) for mounting each tool, or tool type, (ii) the locations at which tools and / or tool holder of a certain type are suitably mounted, and / or (iii) the total number of mounting points and mounted tools or tool holders, the owner / user can quite easily, flexibly, and inexpensively make the tool belt into anything he or she wants it to be, and to serve diverse purposes including as a carrier of items not commonly thought of as “tools”.

[0060]In its preferred embodiment, the tool belt system of the present invention releasibly interchangeably mounts along the length of a tool belt both (1) tool holders of diverse types as themselves serve to releasibly hold tools, and / or (ii) tools. According to the numbers, types and order of tool holders and tools that are mounted, and the locations along the tool belt where these tool holders are so mounted, the tool belt system is quite easily, and readily, configurable by its user / owner to releasibly hold either directly or indirectly just about every kind of portable tool imaginable.

[0081]Clearly substitution of any of the types, locations, and numbers of tools and / or tool holders removably locked to the tool belt is a simple matter of un-snap-locking and removing and / or moving selected tools and / or tool holders, and snap-locking substitute tools and tool holders at desired positions along the elongate tool belt.

Problems solved by technology

There are several problems with these previous approaches.

Versatility in any of the (1) numbers, (2) types, (3) order, and / or (4) positions at which tools are mounted tends to induce complexity into the tool belt and the tool holding, requiring many different parts of some weight and cost.

Any (1) hooks and / or (2) snaps are commonly metal, and robustly sized, and thus undesirably (i) add weight to the tool belt and / or tool, while being (ii) subject to corrosion, and (iii) conductive of electricity.

A second difference between tool belts and harnesses—other than the manner in which each is most commonly worn upon the body, and even this distinction wanes when a tool belt supported by shoulder straps is considered—is that harnesses, commonly being more expensive, often incorporate very exotic, full custom, holding and releasing hardware.

Made from one inch wide nylon strapping with leather shoulder pads and metal snap hooks, the braces are not suitable as a fall arrest harness.

Made from wide and stiff nylon web with a Velcro closure on the chest strap and plastic fittings, these support braces are fully adjustable fur again not suitable to serve as a fall arrest harness.

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